Investigation into the Performance of TIG and MIG Welded Joints of Al6061 Plates

This work demonstrates the joining of aluminium-6061 plates by using ‘tungsten inert gas welding (TIGW)’ and ‘metal inert gas welding (MIGW)’ methods. It is an extension of the work carried out in (Reddy AP and Dewangan in Acta Metallurgica Slovaca 29(2):75–8 [1]). The aim is to check the repeatability of the experimental results while keeping the working parameters identical. Two welded joints were made by using different welding methods and then the joint's properties like tensile strength, hardness and microstructure were checked. The fracture behaviour analysis of the joint was also carried out. The microstructural behaviour of both types of welded plates was found different due to variations in the heat input during welding. Therefore, the MIGW joint was reported as stronger than the same of TIGW joint. The tensile strength of the MIG joint was nearly 82% higher than the same of TIGW joint. Also, the higher hardness of the MIG welded joint establishes the more suitability of MIG welding for Al6061 alloys.